1. Technical Field
Example embodiments of the present invention relate in general to remote control, and more particularly, to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device remote control method that can be applied to remote control of a terminal connected to a specific device present at a remote location through USB and a system that performs the USB device remote control method.
2. Related Art
As the standard of input/output (I/O) interfaces connecting computers with peripherals, a USB interface has advantages such as ease of use, high-speed communication, high stability, generality, low implementation cost, low power consumption, and support for various operating systems (OSs).
Due to these advantages, the USB interface is being widely used as a connection means of digital cameras, external storage devices, mobile communication terminals, etc., as well as computer I/O devices, such as keyboards, mice, printers and scanners.
A computer and peripherals connected through the USB interface operate as a host and devices, respectively. A plurality of devices may be connected to one host.
Lately, with the development of processors, memory technology and communication technology, a mobile communication terminal having voice and video telephony functions, and also various functions such as still photography, moving picture photography, and Internet access has been commercialized, and the USB interface with excellent communication speed, convenience, generality and extendability is used as a communication means between a personal computer (PC) and a mobile communication terminal.
For example, when a user upgrades an OS or firmware installed on a mobile communication terminal, or installs, removes or updates an application in the mobile communication terminal while using the mobile communication terminal, the user should first connect the mobile communication terminal to a computer through the USB interface, and then perform a desired operation through the computer.
At this time, the device driver of the mobile communication terminal should be installed on the computer such that the computer can recognize the mobile communication terminal as a USB device and perform normal communication after the computer and the mobile communication terminal are physically connected through the USB interface.
Since it is practically impossible to include the device drivers of all mobile communication terminals currently on the market in the OS of a computer, a user of a mobile communication terminal should personally obtain and install a device driver provided by the manufacturer or a seller of the corresponding device on the computer. As mobile communication terminals become more functionally sophisticated, the process of installing a device driver on a computer is becoming more complicated.
However, most users do not accurately know the process of controlling a mobile communication terminal through a computer, thus causing inconvenience in use. Also, when the aforementioned process is incorrectly performed, there is a high probability that data stored in the mobile communication terminal will be deleted, or a serious error will occur.
Furthermore, since functions of a recent mobile communication terminal, such as a cellular phone, a smart phone or a pad-type terminal, are very complicated and advanced, there is a high probability of an error or failure occurring when the mobile communication terminal is used. When an error or failure occurs in such a mobile communication terminal, it is difficult for a common user with no expertise to find the cause of the error or failure, let alone correct it. Consequently, the user should request an expert or service center to diagnose and fix the trouble, resulting in inconvenience in use.